The Catholic World

New Zealand Tablet, 23 August 1906, Page 31

The Catholic World

EAST AFRlCA— Mission Work In a recent issue of ' Harper's Magazine ' there was an article from the pen of Mr. H. W. Ncvinson entitled ' Through the African Wilderness,' feeing an interesting account of Portuguese East Africa. In describing the Catholic mission at Caconda, Mr. Mcvinson states that the mission consists of a tin roofed church, cells for the four Fathers and five Brothers, dormitories for a kind of boarding school they ieep, excellent workshops, a forge, and a large garden. Over the whole mission was ' that sense of beauty and calm which seems almost peculiar to Catholicism.' It. is said that the Fathers buy— and thus rescue from the slave tradexs — all the boys whom they bring up in the mission. The Fathers themselves wholly avoided the subject in conversing with Mr. Nevinson, but he thinks it is very probable. Why the Fathers should be so cautious about confessing it he does not know, unless they are afraid of being called supporters of the slave trade bpcause they buy off, and thus save, a few of its victims, and so might be counted customers. They are evidently doing a noble work in a self-sacrificing spirit. ENGLAND— Death of a Priest Our Home exchanges report the death of Rev. Father Lloyd Coghla.ii, who passed away at Canterbury. The deceased had been an army chaplain, but retired some years ago. He was a convert, and was a constant contributor to the Catholic press of Great Britain. Yonng Men's Hall The Duchess of Norfolk laid the foundation stone oi a Young Men's Hall in Commercial-road, London, on June 29. A little over a year ago, on the invitation of Dean Ring, the Archbishop of Westminster founded a blanch of the Young Men's Society in that parish, over a thousand men joining at once, and it is at the instance of Rev. Bernard Yataghan, S.J., that the new hall is being built, at a cost of £3000, to accommodate them. The building, which will be the first of its kind, will also have club rooms for women and gills. Debts on Schools That many of our schools have large debts upon them (says the ' Catholic Times. ') is only too well known to the clergy. The other day the president of the Board of Education was a^ked whether, m the event of schools being transferred without rent, to which clause four of the Education Bill applies, the local, education authority or the owners woxihi be liable for mortagages or otlier charges upon such schools. Replying for Mr. Birrell, Mr. Lough answered that the liability would not be upon the local authority. That is, of course, that Catholics must, hand over their schools and pay the debts and mortgages on them any way they can. We are to make a present of so many thousand school places to the local authority, keep the mortgage interest paid up, get no rent for the building and no real security that the agreement will not "be broken at any date. Is this a bargain satisfactory to either clergy or people ? Who ■will accept the burden of these school debits ? The clergy ? The people ? The diocese ? We fail to see how the two first can raise the money for interest, and we are pretty sure that the diocese cannot produce it. The problem" is a very delicate one and must be weighed seriously by all who wish to safeguard our schools. For the people cannot or ever go on raising money for their own schools and paying rates for the Nonconformist schools as well. ITALY— A Foul Deed Don Antonio Corsi, the chaplain of Prince Doria Pamfili, Who was the victim of a brutal assassination "by an Anarchist, was a greatly respected priest of Rome. He was eighty-three years of age, and when he went daily to the Villa Pamfili in order to celebrate his Mass — he was driving thither for this purpose -when assassinated—required help because of his physical weakness. Naturally enough his obsequies and funeral were a demonstration of popular sympathy, regret, an«l abhorrence. Thus the funeral .was a j great procession through streets lined by reverent sightseers. Immediately after the coma, which was borne aloft, walked Archbishops Lazzareschi and Barone ; Monsignor Stanley, Bishop of Emmaus ; Monsignor Faberi, Monsignor Pescini, private secretary of the Pontiff ; and a host of ecclesiastics.

ROME— The Holy Father's Appreciation In an audience given to Very Rev. Dr. O'Riordan, Rector of the Irish College, the Sovereign Pontiffshowed plainly how much pleasure it gave him to learn that the members of Parliament from Ireland are fighting earnestly and ably for Catholic principle during the debate on the Education Bill. And his. Holiness was especially pleased to hear that in the course of the speeches made by some of the Irish members there had been given an exposition of the demands of Catholic principle which created a profound impression even on the Ministerial side of the House and in LJngland generally. The Holy Father The Holy Father, who now takes liis regular daily walk in the Vatican Gardens (writes a Rome correspondent, under date June 20j, is in excellent health, and continues to give audiences every day, both piivate and public. The most important of these are, by the very nature of tilings, ihose given to Cardinals, Bishops, and other ccclesia sties who are connected wilh the sacred congregations in which the manifold business involved in the direction of the Church at Rome and throughout the world is accomplished. Last week Rome— not Paris— saw the springing into life of a new newspaper legend. The tale is full-bodied, xlefinite,. Sensational ; best of all, it has a strong suggestiveness capable of generating scares without end. The Pope has Bright's disease. This is the rudimentary fact. It has been given out on the alleged authority of a Dr. Brown, of Philadelphia, and the fact that so lefose a description is almost ertfuivalent to anonymity matters nothir.g. The story is now in possession. It should not die for a long time to come. I am glad, then, to be able to say that its author is known, and that he confesses that it does not, and never did, contain e\en the lemotest resemblance to likelihood of any kind. As to ihe general subject, Dr. Lapponi, the only jhysician whom his Holiness' has ever consulted, is cited in an interview (the authenticity of which I can guaiaiuee) as stating that the Pontiff is in excellent health ; fhat the hardening of arteries discoveied in h'm by the physician is merely such as might be found in any person of like age ; that the state of his ai tcries is such as to promise many years of life ; dnd (hat the Papal physician is strongly hopeful of the Pope's seeing the yeais of St. Peter. UNITED STATES— An Unusual Event St. Patrick's Cathedral in Rochester has just been the scene of a most unusual happening. Celebrating Ins first Mass, Rev. Thomas J. O'Hein was assisted by tluce brotheis, Revs. John V. O'Hein, of the Rochester Cathedral ; D. \V. O'Hein, of Iloutzdalc, Pa. ; and J. L. O'l-lern, a Paulist ; also by two cousins', Revs. Maurice O'lleni, of McKean, Pa., and William O'llern, of Franklin, Pa.

GENERAL The Ursuline Order On May 21, 1807, dining the Poiitilk-ate of Tope ("lenient XIII. (says the ' Aye liana '), St. Angola Merici, foundress of the Ursuline nuns, was solemnly canonized. The celebiatiou, next yeai, of the glorious centenary will be participated in by more than seven thousand members of the Otdcr, scattered in three hundred convents in Europe, Canada, and this country Celebrated as thoroughly efficient educators in all parts of the world, the Ursuline nuns have preserved riming the three hundred aud seventy years which have elapsed since tlicir approbation as a religious community, their original spirit, described by St Ohailes Borromeo as being ' replete with a relish for the things of God.' It may not be generally known that the Catholic boarding-school, academy, or convent, foi the education of girls, owes its origin lo St. Angela, who established the first one, specifically designed for' this purpose, about the middle of the sixteenth century.